


Love's Struggle

by fireside23



Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Angst, Dual POV, George in America, George is not colorblind, Internalized Homophobia, Kinda, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Self-Esteem Issues, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-15 11:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 21,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29435676
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fireside23/pseuds/fireside23
Summary: George moves across the world to chase his dreams. His roommate, Clay, is a dashingly handsome man that can weaken George's will with a smile.It should be okay, right? Surely he can ignore his thoughts and the abs that look back at him everyday. Yeah, totally. Maybe. But can he and Clay battle through the baggage they both carry?  Both boys will have to learn the different kinds of love in order to do so.That is if they let themselves.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & Sapnap (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), Luke | Punz/Sapnap
Comments: 12
Kudos: 74





	1. A New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Another fic? Another fic. This'll probably be my last dnf fic as my life should get back to normal in the next couple months. I decided to make this fic after I started uploading Study Partner. I want to tell this story slightly differently. We'll be in 3rd person(kinda) but we'll switch between Clay's and George's perspective over the course of the chapters.I will indicate who is in focus in bold letters. There will be chapters where the perspective flips mid-chapter though. It'll either work or won't, but I think it's fine. If you are confused, just ask in the comments. I always look at comments. 
> 
> Study Partner was a happy and simple story. This is a more serious story. It's much more complex and there are a couple tough topics I'm going to get into. One of which is very personal to me. I will do my best to place trigger warnings when they are necessary. I will also update the tags as the chapters are released. It won't be too bad(no suicidal stuff), I promise. There will also be more than enough fluff and happy moments. If you've read my other fics, this will be like them but on steroids. 
> 
> There is going to a small amount of smut. Probably more than my other fics, but I don't feel comfortable going too crazy. 
> 
> This fic is not meant to make the CC's uncomfortable. If they do not like it and want it removed I will do just that.

**George**

George has arrived at his new university across the ocean in order to chase his dream at being a coder for a game developer. There was a sense of dread going into campus because he has yet to meet or talk to his roommate. He technically shares a dorm with other guys but the dorm has two rooms for two pairs of people. A month ago he received his rooming assignments when he learned that the school had denied his request for a singular dorm. 

Campus was large. When he walked up to his dorm building he took a deep breath. He delayed himself from going by looking around and see all of the people. There were many students with their parents who were bringing what seemed to be their entire room from home to college. All the while George himself brought one luggage, a carry-on, and his backpack which was filled with snacks, not notebooks. He'll get those at Walmart or something. 

In the dormitory courtyard, which was just a nice area for people to sit and walk around, there were multiple tables set up for numerous clubs. There were sororities and frats handing out snacks and water to those walking around in the heat. 

There were a couple nice faces that looked at him but he largely ignored them except for this one girl who handed him a bottle of water. She told him her name but he was too focused on getting out of the social interaction to retain it. 

He entered the lobby to his dormitory building and walked up to the front desk where there was a man in some button down with the campus logo on it. Probably a resident assistant, or R.A. He gave George a hearty smile and welcomed him to the university. 

"Welcome, what is your name?"

"Oh, uh George Davidson."

The man's brows raised. "Ah a foreigner. You British?" he asked as he went through the files in front of him. When he found it he handed it to George.

"Uh, yes. Just outside London."

"That's awesome. So in that file are just some code of conduct things. Your R.A will go over it tomorrow so if you have any questions about that save them for then. There is also three keys. A dorm key, room key for in your dorm and your mailbox key. Don't lose them."

The man went through that very quickly as if he was speedrunning the lines he'll have to say a couple hundred times today. 

"Got it," George said blankly in response.

"Fabulous. Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, I wasn't here for orientation so I don't know where my room could possibly be," he says as he looks at the number 415 on the envelope he has. The building is 3 floors high. Logically he'd just go to the 4th floor but there is no 4th floor.

The man looks at his number again and then points at the wall. There is a small placard that shows where to go. The current floor has dorm rooms in the 300's, the 2nd floor has rooms in the 400's and the top floor has dorm rooms in the 500's. 

George nods in gratitude and starts walking until he finds a flight of stairs. When he gets up to the 2nd floor there is another placard that tells him room 400-422 are to the left. He sees a few people on the floor, most parents who have arrived with their children to help them get situated. When he gets to his door he feels an odd sense of nerves. He feels nauseous like he just may throw up and he hasn't eaten anything today. 

Thankfully when he enters there is nobody inside. He goes to the door that has the number 1 on it, which is the room he will be staying in. He walks in and sees two beds. On the far side of the room is a window with the beds on either side of it. There are two desks at the end of each bed and a small dress under the beds which were about 3-4 ft above the ground. To the right of the door were two small closet spaces.

George's thoughts went to all of the students who came in with so much crap. How could they possibly fit everything. There really isn't all that much space in the perspective dorm rooms. Now there is a living area but they aren't that big.

George throws his suitcase on his bed and starts unpacking it by placing his clothes into the drawers below his bed. The closet space has a small bar on the top for hangers so he throw any dress shirts he may need there. He also has two hoodies, which he almost didn't bring because of the Florida heat. However, he gets cold fast and with the central air pumping he bets he'll find use for the hoodies. 

After that he tosses his backpack onto his desk and the carry-on onto his bed. He looks around the room and tries to see how he can utilize the space to the best of his ability. He begins to get a couple of his things out like the corkboard, tacks, and a metal cylinder to hold his pens, markers, highlighters, and pencils. 

After getting the micro fridge from outside and placing it in the closeted area he decides to go to Walmart. None of his roommates have arrived so he's worried they'll show up when he is gone but he kinda has to trust them since he'll be living with them for the next several months. Being a foreigner makes it slightly harder to travel and he doesn't really know anybody to help bring him someone so he had to get a rental just for today to get what he needs to get and call it a day. 

Being on a tight budget means he'll have to stock up on some cheap foods. He has money on his University I.D Card but it likely won't be enough to get through the semester. The best things he could get were ramen and those easy mac cups which can just be thrown into the microwave. He got a brita water filter so he doesn't have to waste money on water and a couple other snacks. 

After buying some food he purchases toiletries and other bathroom supplies. The last thing on his list he needed was a TV, but he knew it couldn't be too big. Probably something like 19 or 23 inches. 

He hates how he feels forced to sit in his car; forced by the anxiety of meeting new people. He is sure that his roommates have arrived. His feet could not feel more stuck to the ground as he carries his stuff back to the room. When he enters the floor he watches as some guy walks into his room. 

"God," he exhales.

Before turning the knob to his room he takes a deep breath and talks to himself. _You can do this. You can totally talk to 3 other guys without making an ass out of yourself. This is easy._

It was not easy.

He walked into 3 men milling about in the living area talking to each other. It didn't take long for George to realize that the 3 of them knew each other and suddenly he faced an even more monumental task. It's one thing to try and jive with 3 strangers but when those 3 strangers are not strangers to each other it just seems fruitless.

George found himself startled for a couple seconds too long, until the taller boy walked over to him. 

"You must be George." He was wearing a lime green tee with jeans. His hair was slightly blonde and messy, but the kind of messy that looks good. George looked at his eyes and saw they were green.

"Uh, yes." 

All 3 of them immediately react to hearing his accent. Subtle reactions, but George, being hyperaware now, was able to see it. He couldn't discern if it was a good or bad thing. 

"Cool, I'm Clay. Those two are Nick and Luke. They are vastly less important than I am." 

_Wait. The boy in front of me is Clay? This is my roommate? This is who I share a room with?_ George traces the smile on Clay with his eyes, his soft lips standing out like cotton candy at a sporting event. _Oh no._

"Alright, fuck you dude," the one named Nick says.

George nods, unable to say anything and walks to his room with the bags in his hand. Clay follows him into the room.

"So when did you get here?" 

"Um, about 2 hours ago or so."

Clay hadn't really unpacked. His suitcase was open on his bed filled with clothes. He did have his laptop already on his desk though. 

"I see you got a micro-fridge." George felt Clay was fishing for something. "I happened to pre-purchase one. I figured I would share it with you." Ah there it is. 

"Well we could share the one I got. I don't need it for much."

Clay smile grew unexpectedly before he took the conversation on a tangent, "You from the UK? Your accent is-"

George saw the moment for a self-deprecating joke and interrupted him to say, "Weird? Yes. I am from the UK."

They both chuckled, with the other boy shaking his head mid laugh. "I wouldn't say weird. I just wasn't expecting to be sharing a room with a foreigner." The two grew silent. "Anyways, I guess I should go cancel the order for the micro-fridge. No need for two here."

The two went back to putting their stuff away, George mostly placing his snacks in a small plastic bin that he bought and place under his bed next to the dresser. Clay went to leave the room before turning around, "We're going to go to Walmart. I know you just got back from there but is there anything else you may need?"

Suddenly George's heart skipped a beat. The sincere tone Clay used was unexpected. "I'm good. Uh, thanks for asking."

"No problem, George."

_Please never stop saying my name._

This was going to be a long year if he is going to stare at Clays smile the way he already has. 

When the other 3 guys got back from shopping George was messing around on his computer setting up files for each of his classes to stay organized. He was in the middle of putting his cork board up but then got distracted by the need to eat something so he had ramen. 

He turned and saw them carrying a large box in with them. A futon. George pretends to not be paying attention. He hears his roommate walk into the room with bags of groceries and begin to unpack them. The steps get closer as Clay goes to put drinks into the fridge. George sees him place water bottles inside and thinks about telling him he could use the brita but decides against it for now. 

As the day continued George found himself ways to isolate. When the 3 boys were hacking away at putting up the futon, George stayed in his room. He felt bad but he got over it. He'd be no use putting together a futon anyways. When Clay came to ask him if he wanted to go get food, he declined. He knew exactly how that would go; he'd be the odd one out and would just want to leave them. His hope is that eventually he'll meld in with them, or at least with Clay. 

He looks over to his roommate's side and notices that Clay brought as much stuff if not less than him. There was however a big box of popcorn packets sitting under his bed next to an open case of water, a pack of Gatorade bottles and two gallons of Arnold Palmer Iced Tea. 

His desk was pretty boring, just a laptop and couple notebooks on it. Meanwhile, George has added a huge stack of multicolored sticky notes, scotch tape, and a small thing of paper clips. 

Later that night when everyone was going to bed, Clay went to shower. When he came back in, George was sitting on his bed scrolling through the internet. He looked up briefly to see his roommate in just shorts. 

_My eyes are not meant to see those abs. This feels illegal._

"Do you think we should talk about boundaries and such?" he asks as he tosses his clothes in the hamper in his closet.

"Like what?"

George hasn't really thought about boundaries, assuming common courtesy would be obvious, but it can't hurt.

He watched as Clay pulled out $40 from his wallet and handed it to him. He looked up confused. "For the fridge."

George shook his head. "You bought the futon, right? We're even."

Clay nodded and put the money away. "Fair enough. So um I'm sure you know that Nick, Luke and I are friends." 

_No kidding._

"I dont want you to feel left out. I'm sure this isn't exactly the situation you want to be in, so I want to be respectful to you."

_Good manners and abs for days. I need to get out of here._

If there were things George expected to happen today this was not one of them. He almost wished Clay was being fake because it is what he was expecting, but he actually seems sincere. Or George is simping and can't tell what is legit or not. 

"Yeah, it's, um, pretty awkward not gonna lie."

Clay raised his arm behind his back and rubbed the nape of his neck and then ruffled his hair. _Why is he doing this to me?_

"Yeah," he replied dragging out the end of the word. "So I want to know what is off limits if you have anything."

George shrugs. "I honestly don't know. I haven't put too much thought into it. I figured if we just treat each other respectfully we'll be good. You can use my tv if you want." They both chuckle.

"I'm not really a tv guy, I only watch sports but I think we're going to get one tomorrow for the common area."

"Okay." He paused. "Well can I watch tv in here if you are here?"

Clay shrugs. "I don't see why not. Wait. Are you a weeb?"

George nearly choked on air. "A what?"

Clay laughed. "A weeb. Like are you into anime?" George shook is head. "Oh thank god. The other two are weebs."

There was another silence between them. George desperately searched for what to say, but nothing came to mind. "I guess if anything comes up that bothers one of us we'll just speak up. Otherwise be respectful, yeah?"

"Sounds good to me. Actually, first thing I just realize since I'm tired and you are in bed. When do you go to sleep and wake up cause I typically stay up late? That should be something that we share, right?" He nervously laughed and ruffled his hair again. 

"I think I'm the same. Monday and Wednesday I'll have to go to bed earlier for my morning class."

"Oh same. 8:35?" George nods. "Then I guess our sleep schedules will be in sync."

"True."

The mood got a bit more awkward as the two boys kept trying to converse. George was conflicted about whether he wanted Clay to be quiet or put on a shirt more. He was just standing there, leaning up against his bed looking at George trying to make small talk. Meanwhile, George was trying to keep his eyes up while his peripheral vision was making him want to look down. In the end Clay offered to be the middle man between George and his other friends telling George that if the other two are annoying he can just tell him and he'll handle it. 

George wondered how long this nice act would last.

_Will it be longer than my ability not to fall for his smile and body?_


	2. Determination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of the CC's want this fic removed I will remove it.

**Clay**

Clay got up, his roommate already awake and on his laptop with an airpod in his left ear. Nick had texted him if he wanted to get breakfast so Clay asked George. Unfortunately George declined saying that he had to go see his advisor soon. A part of Clay thought he was lying after yesterday. It was more than awkward talking to him but he didn't want to hold it against him. He was a foreigner who unluckily got roomed with 3 people who are close friends. 

He couldn't tell him that Nick, Luke and he have been friends for so many years. That'd probably make things worse. 

The 3 guys went to the dining hall to grab some breakfast, which consisted of silver dollar pancakes, runny eggs, turkey bacon, toast, and waffle makers that were in use and had a line to them. 

"No french toast," Nick lamented. 

"Uh the schedule says they have french toast on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays," Luke replies.

Nick whined and scooped some eggs onto his plate.

"I wouldn't eat that. That looks like regret," Clay remarks. Nick didn't care.

As the 3 sat down and ate Luke and Nick began to trade looks. When Clay spotted them Nick opened with what was on their mind. 

"So your roommate. You know, George." He clears his throat. "How's that going?"

Clay rolled his eyes as he drank from his cup. He knew they would judge him unfairly. "To be honest I'm not sure. He just seems nervous. He's definitely intimidated by us knowing each other." 

"He should be," Nick joked.

"Nick, come on. Listen we talked, he seems nice. I'm not going to make a judgment yet. I have to live with him for the next 7-8 months. I would also appreciate it if you guys would be nice to him."

The other two boys shared another glance. 

"What?"

Luke shrugged. "What are you going to do if he just decided to never hang out with us? How many times will you invite him to come get food?"

Clay rolled his eyes. "I don't know, guys. Why are we talking about this? Maybe I'll warm him up by getting breakfast with him, just him and me."

"Oh I'm sure you'll warm him up," Nick cracks.

Clay, holding his glass of orange juice just below his mouth, stares at Nick. "You can't say that shit in front of him." It was normal for them to make jokes like that, but what was normal to them may not be normal to George. No. It definitely wouldn't be normal to him.

Nick puts his hands up, "Alright alright. Chill. It's just us man."

"I know, I know. It's just you could completely scare him off with your nonsense," Clay retorts.

The other boy pretends to be offended. "Nonsense? Your words hurt me, truly hurt my soul. How could you, Clay?"

Clay ignores his friend and keeps eating food. He thinks about last night as he stood across from George who was laying on his bed in oversized dark blue sweats and a red t-shirt. He would look at him as if he was distracted or wanted to be distracted from conversing with Clay. But it also felt like George wasn't trying to give him anything to work with. It made Clay obsessed with trying to understand his roommate, like what makes him tick, what does he like and what does he not like. Before then he never really would put too much energy into a stranger but living with one puts things into perspective and he simply wasn't ready for it.

One thing that was put into perspective was how respectful and considerate he is. Or isn't. Clay likes to think of himself as someone who is considerate, but his mom warned him to be cognizant of being considerate when dealing with a stranger like George. She warned if George was shy or anxious in any way that small selfish actions can be big red flags to him, but that small actions of good would have the reverse effect. 

When he first saw George walk into the dorm while the 3 of them were literally speculating about him he immediately saw the nerves. George didn't react to talk. He reacted as if he wanted to go back through the door. That was an immediate warning sign that he was nervous. As they talked he saw George's eyes struggle to meet his. He even stuttered a little. 

When night came and they talked, George had moments where he was less tense. He even smiled, not that nervous smile, but a real smile. 

But it slowly went away. He resorted back to behind his walls and Clay had to give up. He just had to hope that he made a small crack in the wall if he had any chance of getting in. 

This may seem strange but he was happy to see that George wasn't in the room when he got back. It meant that his concern from earlier that he was lying about having to go somewhere was just an overreaction. He couldn't help but look over at the other side of the room. It seems somewhat nice and tidy, so he may not have to worry about walking into a mess or having to clean up for him. He noticed in the closet that there was a bag of Reese's peanut butter cups, which is one of Clay's favorite snacks. He himself actually brought some, but he hid how much because it was a lot. If there was one sweet he is willing to indulge in it will be that.

Freshman 15 be damned. 

Nick and Luke decided to go see their other friends but Clay hung back in his room. He wanted to make sure he update his google calendar to fit all of his classes. Two of his professors have also mailed their syllabi so he can add the exams to them. As he was reading through one of the syllabi and lamenting at the fact he had a final that was a 20-30 page paper George walked in. He looked up and made eye contact with him. 

"How was your meeting?"

George sighed. "She was not helpful. I was trying to get credit for a university level class I took last year, but because it was by 'UK standard,'" he said with ghost quotation marks, "it was not acceptable." He seemed annoyed as he dropped his folder on the table.

"Ah. So is this for a class you are taking now or have to sometime soon?"

"Uh, in the future, Probably next semester."

"That sucks. But at least it'll be an easy class for you."

George shrugged, "True, I guess. It just seems like a waste of time." 

George then went to his closet and pulled out a cup of ramen to toss into the microwave. Clay just glared at him as he walked away to put water in it. When he came back he said, "You coulda told us to wait for you." He tried to sound like he was teasing him while not being annoying.

When George paused and then proceeded to put the cup into the microwave he realized that he only made him uncomfortable. _You are an idiot._

"I didn't want to be a bother." He didn't look at Clay. His voice was low as if he actually felt like a bother.

_How the fuck does one navigate through this?_

Clay leaned back and stretched to give himself more time to think. He watched as George looked down at the microwave waiting for it to beep. He was picking at his cuticle.

"Okay. I mean, that kind of sucks that you would feel that way."

"I'm sorry," he mutters.

Clay waves his hand. "Don't be sorry, George. I'm just saying it sucks that you would think you're bothering me simply for asking me to be courteous of you."

George looked over at him. "What about your friends?"

Clay laughed. "Fuck em. I don't care if they are bothered, so you shouldn't either. If you want me to wait 20 minutes or whatever to go get food I'll wait. If they don't want to, then who cares."

There was an odd tension between them that seemed to lift as George's brows rose. He seemed surprised by what Clay was saying. "Do you actually mean that?"

Clay smiled to reassure his roommate. "Yeah. You're from another country and rooming with people who have been friends for like 10 years."

"Ten years? So you 3 are really close. Like really really close."

"Yes. But it doesn't matter. If I can make this transition for you easier then I should, right?" The two looked at each other. "Right, you don't want to say yes. It's okay."

"But you don't even know me. I could be a serial killer." 

Clay lost it and wheezed. "You're right, I don't know you but I don't think you are a serial killer." They both chuckle for a minute as the atmosphere gets lighter. "In all seriousness I would like to get to know you."

He wondered for a second if he actually meant that or if he was saying it just to be nice. As he looked at George's body contort itself under the nerves he realized he did. There was something about George that pulled him in and he couldn't tell what it was. 

"Well what do you want to know?" George opened the microwave and set his cup of ramen on the table to cool off. He sat down in his chair, facing Clay. 

"Hmm. What are your hobbies?" 

George shrugged. "I like to code mostly. To be honest I'm a little boring."

Clay's eyes widened. "Wait, coding? What's your major?"

"Uh computer science."

"Shit, same. I like coding too. I have other hobbies. I used to play football in High school."

George seemed interested. "American football I assume?" Clay nodded. "What position?"

"Quarterback. What about you? Did you play any sports back in the UK?"

George chuckled, his smile coming through the nervousness he was enduring with. "Do I look like I played sports?" Clay looked at him and tried not to laugh, but he let out a small giggle. "Don't laugh at me."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to laugh. But you could've done track or something."

George giggled again causing a warm fleeting feeling to rumble in Clay's stomach. He really liked the way George sounded when he giggled. The two of them continued to talk for a little while, Clay feeling that the other boy was slowly feeling more comfortable. Clay heard his phone vibrate on the wooden table behind him and he saw he had a text from Nick.

Nick: You coming over or are you fucking your roommate already?

He let out a sigh. 

Clay: You are a dick. I'll be over in 10.

Clay got up from his chair and stretched his legs. "That's Nick. They really want me to go over to see our friends. I won't ask you to come, so don't worry."

"Oh okay," he seemed disappointed. 

_Fuck, Nick. Gees. I should've said no._

He flipped through his phone to his contacts and added George's name and handed his phone to George. "Put your number in there. If you need me, I'm easy to access." George hesitatingly grabbed his phone and typed away on it. When he handed it back to Clay, Clay immediately texted him. When he heard the other boy's phone go off he couldn't help but smile. 

"Alright, George. I'll see you later."

Outside there are still students arriving to campus to move in even though classes start tomorrow. There aren't many, all of the stations that were up yesterday have been removed. So if anybody wanted to join a club or frat they'd have to find the hundreds of papers that have been taped to the walls all over campus. The design of this part of the campus place 3 dormitory halls in a square-like pattern with the dining hall on the 4th side. In between is a tall tree which gives a decent amount of shade over the greenery. Several students are already lounging about on towels on the ground. Some reading books, other just laying there listening to music or hanging out with their friends for a nice chit-chat. 

Across from Clay's dormitory hall is where his friends are located. He took in the environment a bit considering he wasn't expected to live in a dorm, but he wanted to get out of his house and experience college life with his friends who decided to live on a campus. 

The dorm room he was going to was shared by Callahan, Karl, Sam, and Jack.

When he walked in Nick didn't waste any time giving him shit. "So how's your roommate?"

"Don't start, Nick." 

"What's wrong with your roommate?" Sam questions.

"Nothing," Clay quickly answer.

Nick dissented. "His roommate doesn't like us."

"That's not even remotely true."

The other boy shook his head. "It is. He won't get food with us, he didn't help us with the futon, and he's making you feel awkward and on edge."

Clay got annoyed. "That's not fair, Nick. Dude is living in America for the first time in his life and is forced to room with 3 close friends. He didn't know we were buying a futon, which by the way he paid his share for, and I'm not on edge. Not anymore."

Nick challenged him. "If he can live a couple thousand miles across the ocean then he can grab food with 3 people. What do you mean not anymore?"

Luke urged Nick to let up but they all know how Nick can get. The other stayed silent settling for just listening to the needless drama.

"You did not ask me to come here just to annoy me. He's an anxious person and takes time to get used to people. I can handle that. I have patience, I'm friends with you." Luke took a step back as the rest made faces. "I'm not going to apologize, Nick. You are an absolute pain in my ass, but you are like a brother to me. And I know I'm no cup of tea."

"You can say that again," Jack mutterers. Clay glares at him before they both chuckle. 

Nick looked seriously at Clay. "So you're serious about this? Like you're actually trying to be his friend even though he's not interested?"

Clay threw his hands up in the air. "You are a blockhead. I literally was talking to him before I came here. We were talking about our hobbies, I learned that we are in the same major, and I-"

Clay stopped himself from continuing. 

"You, what?" Nick asked. 

Clay was blushing. "I made him genuinely laugh."

Nick exploded in laughter. "Holy shit! You are crushing on him! That's why you are putting effort into him."

Clay adamantly shook his head at the joke his friend was making. "No, Nick. Please don't start that. Imagine if I were into him, that'd just be awkward since he's my roommate."

The other boy relented but it didn't change his mind. 

The 7 guys booted up a shooter game to play for the night, something they liked doing back home during High School. Clay wasn't into shooters that much but he'd liked playing with his friends. Luke and Nick were the big gamers, constantly playing Rainbow 6, Valorant and CS:Go on their PC's. 

Nick made an off-hand comment about how he can't wait to go to parties which evolved into a conversation if they should go to house parties or just throw small parties in their dorms. This was one of those things he was sure he had to ask George about. 

_Clay: How do you feel about parties?_

_George: Uh...is that a rhetorical question?_

_Clay smiled, forcing a chuckle down._

_Clay: Right lol. How would you feel my friends(there are 7 of us) got together and drank in our dorm?_

George took a while to respond which made Clay feel uneasy. 

_George: Depends. If I have to do serious homework or study I'd like to do in our room._

_Clay: That's fair._

When Nick offered to have a party at their dorm Clay thought maybe this'll be the perfect way to bring George out of his shell. Or he'll just be perpetually stuck in there. He'll have to get to know 4 more people. He'll just have to let him know when they get breakfast together on Thursday morning. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted this up sooner, but I've been catching up on anime and playing games lol. I will upload the next two chapters within the next 7 days. Thinking Chapter 3 on Monday or Tuesday and Chapter 4 on Friday. 
> 
> I'm not sure if I'm going to make the 4 new characters all re-occurring. It'll be more like they are just there as filler but that's it. Only Karl will have a role in this fic, but it may change if I see any use for the others. So that is why I'm not adding them to the tags. Only Karl.


	3. Breakfast

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of the CC's want this removed I will do so.

**George**

The first day of classes for George was exhausting. Due to missing orientation not only did he miss out on the layout of the dormitory halls and where each one was, he also missed out on the overall layout of the campus itself. When he got up and went to his first class he got lost. He couldn't find where his lecture center was. He went to the main building where the large lecture centers are but couldn't find his. 

He had to ask someone where the lecture center was and was stumped to know that there was a basement with more lecture centers, which is where his first class was. He unfortunately arrived late to the class and had to endure the professor calling him out on that. Needless to say he found solitude sitting in the back row. His next class went better, but he still got lost looking for it. 

One thing he liked about the campus were the food options. There were so many places to get food and it ranged from pizza, sandwiches, a mini bakery, a Starbucks, and a Wendy's. There were signs up promoting a seafood place coming next semester as well. Nearly everything you could ask for was on campus, but he worked out how many times he can eat out here and it was barely once a day, based on the money his food plan gives him. That means the rest of his meals will come from what he has in the dorm and the dining hall. He went to the dining hall yesterday and the quality was very hit or miss. Frozen chicken and french fries all fried up and cooked? Fine. The clam chowder and the ravioli? They looked like vomit. He watched someone eat the ravioli and gagged.

Clam chowder just normally looks unappetizing so it was a lose-lose situation even if it was decent clam chowder. 

In between the two classes and the third he had time to go back to the dorm. He did see Clay milling about as he also had a class at the same time as George's 2nd class. He thought about pretending to bump into him but he just continued back to the room. He kind of felt bad because Clay had been putting in work to try and get George comfortable. Last night when he and his friends got back Clay immediately started talking to him. 

It was off-putting how easy it was for Clay to talk to him, this time lamenting about how annoying his friends are at playing games. It kinda startled George how Clay could just start a conversation with him like they are friends. 

It was also awkward because George was watching a Harry Potter film and Clay seemed really disinterested. He asked if George liked it to which he confessed his undying love for it. Maybe a little too eagerly. He remembered getting up to get a drink and seeing Clay typing away on his laptop with noise-canceling headphones on. His head was bobbing up and down and sometimes he was humming as if he was listening to a song. 

Later that night George found himself precariously coming to terms with what he fear the previous night. Clay had gotten out of the shower, again in just shorts. No T-shirt. George was sizing up his abs, taking notice of the few specs of hair under his belly-button and then Clay's back muscles when he turned around. 

They didn't talk too much but the air felt less heavy. It was like, "Okay, we're here. We don't hate each other. It could be worse." George felt less tense allowing himself to slip into some of his normal routines like how he likes to watch funny videos on his phone after he brushes his teeth and before he goes to sleep. Clay would be in bed but not sleeping or trying to go to sleep, but he didn't seem to be bothered. 

Today Clay seemed to be making his own routine. George realized that after Clay ate dinner he liked to go to the gym, where he stayed for an hour and came back. He would sit at his desk, wearing a wife-beater and eat a protein bar. Then he would shower. 

This of course continued George's routine of casually checking him out, but less so this time. 

Clay had asked George if he ever been to the gym, which led to George making a sarcastic joke about his bulging biceps. He got a laugh out of Clay. That's all he cared about. Clay asked him to join him at the gym but he declined. 

Clay also told George that he could use the bathroom when he showers. The shower and the toilet are separated by a divider, so that the toilet is in a stall. This was apparently a topic of discussion amongst the roommates because Nick took a 20 minute shower with the bathroom door locked and Luke had to go. 

George settled on never going to the bathroom when Clay was in there. 

The next morning George slept through his alarm, which he knew he would do. Thankfully, Clay had the same class so he was there to wake him. 

There were worse things to wake up to than Clay's face.

Like a lot. 

When Clay asked him to get breakfast he did not decline this time. If he had that would be a bit too disrespectful. Surprisingly, George wanted to get breakfast with him, even looking forward to it the previous night.

But did this mean he always had to get food with him if he asked? He hoped not. He wasn't ready to guarantee something like that, especially with his rowdy friends. Luke and Nick were far more abrasive than Clay was. Once they got a tv into the common area they went from loud to obnoxious. George didn't mind it if he had to be honest. Hearing them yell about how the other one sucks dick at a game was mildly funny in an immature way.

Clay seemed to be the mature one although when he interacted with them that maturity dissipated slightly. Which Clay was the real Clay? Was it the more mature one that George was used to or was it the one who joke about fucking Nick's mom? Or was it somewhere in between? In the end one thing that seemed sure was that Clay wasn't 100% himself with George and maybe not his other friends. So option 3 seemed to be the correct option. George became intrigued by this multi-faceted roommate of his.

Then again, the George Clay sees isn't exactly the real George either. 

When you have friends you find that you vibe with some friends differently than others. Some friends you may find comfort in playing video games with them, some with talking about anime, others maybe into sports, etc. However, there is always something that you take into each friendship that is consistent. It is who you are, but who are you? What about you stays consistent? Is it your humor? Is it your ability to be caring? 

For George, he wants to know what is that one consistent thing about Clay. What are the things he keeps hidden but are essential attributes to who he is? 

"I'd avoid the runny eggs if I were you. Nick didn't treat our bathroom right after he had it."

George fixed his eyes on Clay. When Clay looked back he mouthed "what" as if what he said was normal to say. 

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"Oh shut up. The bacon is great, I'm not sure about the baby sausages-" he gets distracted, "Oh french toast," he says gleefully. George giggles as he places a few strips of bacon onto his plate. He grabs 2 baby sausages to give them a shot while Clay goes on about the other foods there. "If you can make a waffle, do it. It's worth it. There are some fruit in the back of the hall if you want. Oranges and apples."

George looks down at his plate, "I think this'll be fine." 

When they get off the line they walk up against the long windows that give way to shrubbery on the other side. There are numerous seating areas set up that are reminiscent to the long seats at a diner. There is a hardened clay partition with the long seat that curves around the designated area. Nearby are multiple tables for 2 people to eat on. 

When they sit down, Clay goes to make a waffle because there was no line. 

When he came back, George had started eating his bacon. He looked up and jokingly asked, "Was it rude for me to eat before you sat down?"

"Very. I would never do that to you."

George could hear the sarcasm dribble from his mouth so he shrugged. 

"Ass."

George lifted a piece of bacon to his mouth and took a bite out of it obnoxiously. They both chuckled.

George tried the baby sausages but they tasted very rubbery and off. Clay looked at him as he took a bit of his waffle. "Go get some more bacon or french toast."

"Eh. I don't wanna get up."

Clay looked down and then back up. "Are you actually still hungry?" George nodded. "Do you want some of my waffle?"

George waved him off. "Oh no, no. It's fine. Eat your waffle."

Clay cut off a third of his waffle and slid it onto George's plate. He took the small cup of syrup he brought over and lightly shoved it to George's side of the table.

"Clay, it's fine."

"Shut up. Eat. I've eaten more than you so I'll be fine."

George looked at him for a few seconds and smiled. "Thanks." 

As they ate George decided to ask a question. Clay had been keeping the small talk going, which just added to the pressure to George to keep up the conversation. 

"Do you have any pets?"

Clay was smirking before he answered. He pulled out his phone and said, "I have a cat, do you want to see?"

George's eyes lit up. "Yeah sure, I love cats."

Clay flips to a picture of his cat. The picture is of him in bed laying down with the cat on his chest sleeping. George couldn't help but find the picture adorable. "Her name is Patches."

"Aww, she's beautiful," George found himself saying. He made eye contact with a smiling Clay and then looked back down at the picture. He swiped to the left to the next picture of Patches who was sitting down on the ground looking up at something.

"Would you like to see her one day?"

George's eyes scrunched up, left brow raised. "Yes, but how?"

Clay pulls his phone back, "I live like a half hour from here."

"And you decided to live on campus?"

Clay nodded. "Yeah. If I stayed home I would struggle to do my studies probably. Plus all of my friends wanted to stay on campus. To be honest I would hate to wake up a half hour earlier for today's class just for the commute." 

There was something in his voice that dragged. 

"Makes sense, I guess."

George sees Clay's face drop and suddenly thinks he reacted wrongly.

"I'm getting the feeling that you wish I hadn't decided to room on campus. I feel unwanted."

"What? Wait. No. I didn't say that," George panicked not realizing Clay was messing with him.

Suddenly Clay worked up a sly smile on his face. "So are you saying I'm wanted?" His brows were raised. 

"Uh, wait. What just happened?" George asks nervously. Clay chuckled trying to hold in a deeper laugh. 

"Would you rather not have met me?" Clay asked.

It was a trap. It didn't matter how George answered. If he says no then he is just being mean. _It would also be a lie._ If he says yes, however he would be opening himself up to more teasing from the other boy.

"I would rather you not be mean to me by playing these tricks."

Clay couldn't hide the smirk on his face. "Oh why is that? Did you think I was serious when I asked? Hmmm? Cause it seemed like you did. You shoulda saw your face, George."

George shook his head and got up from his seat. He put on his bag and grabbed his plate. "Now I wish I hadn't met you," he cracks. 

The two boys giggle as they toss their trash away and place their plates in the dirty bin. George feels a surprising lightness in his feet as he walks with his roommate. The previous tension in his shoulders has dissipated and he find himself less stressed about being normal around Clay.

"So I have a question." Clay said quietly as they walked to class.

"Go on?"

"Okay. Before I ask I want you to know that you have a say in the matter."

George felt uneasy. 

"The guys wanted to have a small gathering of our friends at our dorm this weekend. You know, a little music and alcohol." Clay seemed nervous when speaking.

"Uh. Well um, there wasn't a question."

Clay stopped walking and then looked around. "Oh right. Er. Are you okay with us having the gathering in our dorm?"

George wanted to say no, but his mouth said, "Sure." He immediately regretted it. 

Clay saw that he didn't mean that. "You sure, because your face is screaming no."

"Okay. I want to say no. However, I don't want to say no." There was a long pause. "Yeah." George looked away and started walking. 

"Wait George. You can say no. I'll just tell them I don't feel comfortable having it."

"It's not that simple and you know it. It's whatever Clay. I'll just suck it up and hang with you guys."

Clay sighed. "I'm sorry."

George flashed him a smile. He wasn't mad at Clay, he just hated how anxious he was. It wasn't fair to put his social anxiety on his roommate, especially since he's gone well out of his way for him. _If Clay can suck up talking to a loser, then I can suck up hanging with his friends one night._

"Don't be. I think I'll live."

Clay laughed. "I'll keep you safe from Nick and Luke." He gave George a playful shove causing them both to chuckle.

Later that night George was filling up his corkboard with sticky notes with important dates on them from the syllabi he has received. On the top of the corkboard he sets the categories with yellow sticky notes. He has 3 major categories: Exams, projects, and miscellaneous. To the left he has labels for each of his classes. He uses a small notepad to list the important items and then puts them in there appropriate place on the corkboard. His plan is to use the different colored sticky notes, in which each color represents one class to note any homework or important things that aren't on the syllabus. 

As he is doing this Clay gets up from his bed and walks to his closet. He reaches into a bag and pulls out a two pack of Reese's peanut butter cups. This suddenly makes George crave for one so when he finishes up with what he is doing he decides to get one for himself from his closet. Since he has time to waste before going to sleep he puts his tv on. He then moves his laptop to the edge of the table and connects and HDMI cable to the TV so that he could watch a movie. 

He figured he would watch a Harry Potter film, especially since Clay had his headphones in. A part of him wanted to ask Clay if ever saw a Harry Potter movie but he decided against it. 

He hadn't grown that comfortable with the newfound relationship. He wasn't sure if he could call them friends. 

To him most of their interactions are forced simply because they are roommates, and that is a sucky feeling. George wants to be his friend, but he's so unsure of everything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow chapter I know, but there are things here that'll be brought back in future chapters :)
> 
> Next chapter is Friday. I hope lol. Please feel free to leave comments. I do appreciate it as much as I appreciate the kudos.
> 
> PS: The hardened clay line was not intentional lmfao. When I was describing the dining hall I needed to base it off of something so I based it off of my own college's design(for the most part). I'm sorry for leaving it in lol.


	4. Breaking Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first chapter where the POV will flip mid-chapter(twice actually). We're still in 3rd person, so it may seem weird. However, there's a reason for this. Hopefully it's not too confusing or bad. 
> 
> Oh and blame George(and Captain Puffy a little) for this not being up earlier. He decided to stream and I couldn't focus on finishing the edit. 
> 
> If any of the CC's want this removed I will remove it

**Clay**

Clay and his friends spent the evening getting ready their little party. He had to go back to his home town to get some alcohol from a distributor who doesn't care that he's not 21. When he gets back he notices the dorm next door and across from them are also throwing parties. He can hear the sound of bouncing ping pong balls from the room across the hall.

_Well, they are stupid._

They are not allowed to drink on campus, especially since they are underage. Making an excessive amount of noise only brings attention to them. However, the sound of bouncing ping pong balls is a dead giveaway to what is occurring in the room. This was actually something Clay spoke about with Nick and Luke. Most common drinking games are loud such as Beer Pong and Flip Cup. 

He's been anxious most of the day due to his roommate. He can tell that George wants nothing to do with today but he's sucking it up for him. He's tried to keep things between him and George normal by texting him about if he wants any snacks or drinks while he is gone. George declines, but while at Target Clay buys him some Cadbury Chocolate from the small international chocolate section that is typically in Target stores. Remind him of home.

When the rest of his friends arrived his eyes quickly darted to the closed door to his room. George was in there and being anti-social until he absolutely had to come out. Clay poured himself a drink while the others put on some music and started drinking too. He let himself relax with his friends, but Nick was going to be Nick and bug him.

"So when is your roommate coming out?"

"Nick. I'll go get him. Soon anyways."

Nick rolled his eyes and took a large swig of his drink.

"Is he really that shy?" Karl asked. Clay nodded. "That's kind of sad. Like, why are we here if he's just going to be uncomfortable?" Luke and Clay look at Nick to point the finger at him.

"Woah woah. Okay relax, y'all. He said it was fine, right Clay?"

"Yes, after we planned to have this party I asked him if it was okay. He said yes."

Karl laughed. "Of course he did." Clay nodded acknowledging what he was about to get at. "His roommate is asking to hang with his friends in his dorm. If George says no he's the bad guy. I'm a keep it a buck, but I don't like this. We should just go to our room."

Nick threw his head back. "Oh come on. It's not that big a deal."

Clay puts his hands up to stop the conversation in case George could hear them. He decides to take his drink and walk into his room. On the other side of the door is his roommate sitting on his bed in black sweats and a white tee. Their eyes meet connecting the tension that was in the room. Clay closed the door behind him and flashed a dorky smile.

"You guys were talking about me, right?" 

Clay didn't panic. "Yes." 

George sighed and got up from the bed. There was a feeling of dread wash upon his face like he was being forced to bite the bullet. Clay felt bad. "You don't have to. If you want I'll hang in here."

George just stared at him. Clay couldn't discern what to make from his expression. His brows rose but quickly went back to normal. He noticed his fingers laced the fabric of his shirt by his waist and started to rub it. Clay was unsure if he even meant what he said. Would he actually stay in the room with George just so he didn't feel alone? It almost felt manipulative. 

"No it's fine. I have to get accustomed to your friends, 2 of which live in this dorm, anyways."

Clay watched his roommate slip on a pair of boat shoes and take a deep breath. He can now see the nerves on the boy's body. His shoulders were all wound up, his fingers still rubbing fabric feverishly. When he turned around to face Clay, the taller boy held out his drink. "Take a sip."

George looked down at the drink and hesitated. 

"Tell me you've drank alcohol before," Clay said almost jokingly.

"No. I haven't Clay. I'm a loser, haven't we figured this out," George said exasperated. He walked away throwing his hands up in the air and tossed off his boat shoes. 

Clay wheezed. "Oh god. George. Okay." He walked over to George who was right next to his bed. "There's no pressure, man. None. I'm not going to judge you, maybe I'll laugh at you."

"That's the same thing," George barked back. His tone wasn't in anger. It was just more exasperation as he feels bad about himself. Clay struggled to stifle his laughter. "You are laughing at me! How can I not feel judged?"

"One sec," Clay says as he puts his hand up to his mouth so he can laugh.

"Oh my god, you are the worst."

Clay waves his hand. "No no no. I'm not. I'm great." He tried to stifle a laugh, but it broke through. He grabbed George's arm before he could jump on his bed. After a couple deep breaths, which was met by the dirtiest look George has ever given him, he composed himself. "Alright. Just listen to me. If you don't want to drink, fine. I'm not going to pressure you. I just think you could use it to mellow out a bit." He placed one hand on the shorter boy's shoulder and lightly squeezed. "You are tense."

George met his gaze and sighed. He grabbed the cup from Clay's hand and looked down at the drink. It just looked like sprite. When he took a sip he immediately made a face, but he took another sip afterwards. Clay smiled.

"See. Not bad."

"It's a little bad," George retorted handing the drink back to Clay. 

"Well, it fits my tolerance. I can make you a drink that is less strong if you'd like. That is if you want to join me out there with those morons."

George chuckled. "I like how you call them morons."

"They're my world, but they are morons."

"Doesn't that make you a moron?" George queried with a smirk on his face. 

Clay nodded. "Yup and you are about to hang out with this moron."

"I didn't say yes." 

Clay grinned, "You didn't say no either." If George truly wanted to say no, he'd say so. Just like when he is asked to get food with everyone. He doesn't hesitate to say decline the offer. Maybe most of him didn't want to go outside of this room, a small part did. That was all Clay needed. 

The two boys exited their room and for some reason Clay felt a pang of guilt mixed with fear. He couldn't quite put his finger on why he was nervous. If anything George is the one who should be nervous, which he was. Clay felt like he had to stay by Clay's side as he introduced him to his other friends. If anyone could make George feel somewhat comfortable it would Karl. Karl was the only one who had the mental capacity to understand the nuances of people and how they act. 

Clay knew that from personal experience.

Clay walks over to where the drinks are, leaving George with Karl who is trying to gauge George's music tastes. When George said he never heard of Sweater Weather, Clay swore that Karl was going to leave the room and never coming back. Karl is the type to just play that song for hours on end. He'll take baths listening to just that song. But then George admitted having watched High School Musical, so Karl stuck around. 

As he pours a drink for George, using less vodka than he would for himself, Nick comes by. 

"I guess you were right about how nervous he was."

"Nick, please be nice to him."

Nick gave him a extensive look. "Clay, I just don't get why you care so much." He took a swig of his drink. "I guess I'll chalk it up to you trying to be a good roommate."

"A good person, Nick. I want to be a good person." 

The two shared an understanding glance. Nick tapped the back of Clay adding an apology for how he's reacted to Clay and George. 

Clay sighed and proceeded to walk back to George who had a bright smile on his face as he spoke to Karl. This time they were talking about how George likes to code. Karl seemed interested, which Karl was good at doing even if he wasn't exactly interested. Clay didn't want to interrupt them so he just held the drink out to George who slowly grabbed it and took a sip. His face revolted, but gave him the thumbs up. 

~~~~~~

**George**

There was a scary feeling of walking into the unknown, like driving in a dark neighborhood trying to get your destination but you are lost. Or maybe when you are walking in an alleyway. It's the scariest part of the walk, chances low that something bad will happen, but the risk still heightened. 

A cloud of uncertainty circulates George as he traverses a conversation with one of Clay's friends. He's not in the corner sipping away on a drink, or sulking in his room trying to ignore the possibilities of being made fun of. He's in the common area, drink in hand with Clay next to him. Clay isn't a part of the conversation, as he is talking to someone named Sam, but George can see him peaking over to listen into the conversation. 

The boy he is talking to, Karl, is very easy to talk to. He's wearing an oversized purple and black striped shirt and some chino shorts that extend past his knees. His hair, brown and poofy, interferes with his eyes every once and a while. Perhaps his most notable feature is his laugh. It's a contagious and constant giggle. When George first heard it he felt compelled to laugh himself. 

Another thing about Karl is that he seems genuine. He's asking George questions about life back home, why he came to America and stuff about coding. The only person to even give a damn about him like this was Clay. But Karl was different. Clay was a listener. He would ask questions but mostly let George speak. There would be little back and forth where Karl seemed thoroughly engaged. This didn't mean he appreciated Karl more than Clay, but the difference in their ability to care stood out. Clay seemed confused how to feel comfortable with George or how to make him feel comfortable around Clay. Whereas the other boy just knew. 

Then again, Clay's probably given Karl a heads up about how skittish he is. 

After a couple hours, George begins to start feeling the alcohol. He's only had a couple drinks and a shot with Clay but he's a self-admitted lightweight. 

Suddenly there's a knock on the door. 

"Oh shit," Nick says.

"Shut up," Clay grumbles. "Lower the music," he says to Luke. He motions to Nick, Karl and George to sit down on the futon and to grab the controllers. There had been a stray game or two that the boys were playing. 

Clay walks over to the door slowly as the rest of the boys seek to hide the drinks. Luke and Sam bring the alcohol to Nick's room. 

When someone knocks on the door again, Clay opens it mid-knock.

George felt nervous, even more so when he recognized the person at the front door. It was the RD who he had met on the first day on campus. 

"There's a lot of noise coming from this area of the floor."

Clay ruffled his hair and gave a nervous chuckle. "Ah sorry. These idiots can get loud playing games."

The RD looks in and notices George with a cup in his hand. George tries not to panic when he realizes he may have blown their cover. "Mhm. Right. Well make sure you keep it down. Sometimes campus police walk around the dorms. You don't want to bring attention to yourselves, now."

The RD and Clay shared a glance. He knew exactly what was going on in the dorm but didn't want to punish them. What he was doing was transparent; he was warning them that police could've been at the door and there'd be nothing he could do then. 

Clay closed the door behind the RD and saw the cup in George's hand. 

"Dude."

"My bad," George said as he slowly lifted the cup up to his lips and took a long sip waiting for everyone to stop looking at him. 

Clay laughed. 

George got up and went to the bathroom. Whilst in there he looked at himself in the mirror. He felt strange, alcohol causing his legs to feel light as if they aren't there. His head felt floaty as if he could pass out. He took two deep breaths as he looked at himself and then went to do his business. When he got out he went into his room to look for a snack. He kind of wanted some chips but he didn't have any. 

Clay came up behind him with a hand on his shoulder.

"How you holding up?"

George shrugged. "I'm feeling drunk I think."

Clay giggled as he looked into George's eyes. George couldn't help but look into Clay's eyes either. There was a contrast in colors in his eyes unlike anything he's seen before, although admittedly he'd never stared at someone's eyes for more than a couple seconds. He felt weird looking at people's eyes when he talked to them. 

Except for Clay.

He could get lost in his eyes right now with how warm it make him feel.

_This is trouble._

"Oh George? You in there?" Clay was waving his hands in George's face. The shorter boy snapped out his trance. "You weren't kidding about being drunk," he remarked mid wheeze. He slammed his hand down on George's shoulder before going into the fridge. He pulled out a small bottle a Gatorade and handed it to George. "Drink this. It's better than water. Keeps you well hydrated and lessens the hangover tomorrow.

"Can I still drink?"

Clay laughed. "Sure. Just pace yourself."

George grabbed the bottle and took a sip. He then followed Clay back out the room, the other having his hand on his shoulder. 

"We should play a game," Sam says.

Nick grins. "Never have I ever?"

Clay shook his head but nearly everyone agreed. The rules are simple. Instead of putting fingers down, you just take a sip. However, before the game can begin Clay gets a phone call. Nick and Clay share a concerned look. George looks at the clock and sees that it is past midnight. Who could be calling him so late?

Clay takes his phone call outside of the dorm. George feels an urge to follow him but he doesn't. "Is he okay?"

Nick almost didn't hear him. "Uh yeah. Probably nothing."

George knew that was bullshit. It's not nothing if you receive a phone call past midnight. Clay's reaction when he saw the name on the phone was also not nothing. How his face suddenly dropped was not nothing. The way his voice broke when he told the other person on the line to hold on was not nothing. 

He took a couple minutes before deciding to get up. "I'm going to get some chips from the vending machines. I'll be right back." He actually did want to get chips, but he wanted to see what was going on with Clay. 

"Do you want company?" Karl asks.

"Nah, I'm good. Do you want something?"

Karl shook his head.

When George stepped out he didn't see Clay so he kept walking down the hallway. In every dormitory there is a basement that connects all of the surrounding dormitories. Each basement is home to a small lounge area with several vending machines. The vending machines can have drinks and food and even condoms. 

He thought Clay would be down there because at this time of night there would be sufficient privacy. However, he wasn't. So this concerned George who went back upstairs to the lobby. When a campus police officer walks into the dormitory building he can hear a familiar voice booming in from outside. 

"Alright! I don't want to talk about this right now. I'm with my friends!" 

It was unmistakably Clay.

The officer didn't pay George any attention, which was lucky. George wanted to hear more but so he got closer to the door until he was able to see the back of Clay's head. 

He heard a muffled voice say, "You don't get to do this! I'm hanging up on you!"

George skedaddled back to the entrance of the hallway until he heard the door open. When he did he walked around the corner pretending he didn't just hear his roommate yelling on the phone. Clay was looking down at the ground when George saw him. His face riddled with pain and exhaustion. He could see his left fist closed tightly exposing the white in his knuckles. 

"Hey Clay," George says softly. 

When Clay looks up and sees George, his fist unclenches, blood rushing to fill the color of his hand. His face quickly turned around. 

"What are you doing down here?"

George put his hand on his stomach. "I want chips."

Clay softly chuckled. He still looked pained though. George felt his sobriety slightly flare back as he grew concerned for the taller boy. He was so used to his confidence and positivity that this muted Clay was worrying. He wanted to ask what was wrong but he also didn't want to give away that he heard him yelling. 

He felt weird.

"Do you want to come with me?"

Clay tried to settle into his normal self but the way he said, "Yeah," was not that. The two went downstairs to the basement together quietly. There was nobody down there. 

"Are you actually enjoying tonight?"

George shrugged. "Sure. I don't feel anxious anymore."

"Ah. That's the alcohol speaking."

"Haha. Yes. Probably. I do feel weird but it's fine."

Clay seemed distracted "Do you feel anxious around me? You know, normally."

George thought about as he made his selection on the vending machine. He looked at the vending machine and saw Clay in the reflection. He was looking at George and his face looked glum. "You don't have to say if you don't want to."

"Yes. I do." The small can of pringles fell down to the bottom of the vending machine. 

"Oh. Why?"

His voice was upbeat trying to mimic the joking tone he usually has. He even had a smile on his face. 

"I don't know, actually. If it makes you feel better I don't hate you."

Clay laughed. 

"Not anymore at least," George cracked.

Clay looked genuinely shocked until he saw that George was joking. "Okay that was uncalled for. I think I've been very nice to you."

George just rolled his eyes, which causes Clay to gasp. "I guess you can call it that if you want."

"Wow, drunk George is mean."

"Drunk Clay is still annoying." 

"Woah. First of all, I'm not drunk. Second of all, what do you mean 'still annoying?'"

George was laughing at Clay's expense as they walked up to their floor. He felt a fuzzy feeling in his chest that just kept swirling. The alcohol may be catching up to him, he thinks. "I'm just joking. And why aren't you drunk?"

"Cause who is going to supervise you?"

George could feel his face warm up. His nose flared. "You don't need to supervise me. Have fun, Clay!" George nearly tripped over himself as he reached the top step. Clay quickly reacted and caught his arm keeping him from falling.

"You see. I expect a thank you." 

George shakes his head and proceeds to their front door. 

Clay rolls his eyes as the other boy walks in. 

~~~~~~

**Clay**

Clay was able to calm down after his phone call earlier. He didn't expect to have run in with George but thankfully he didn't seem to know what was going on. His focus quickly diverted from the call back to his now drunken roommate who insisted on drinking more. 

When they got back into the room he poured himself and Clay a shot because Clay wasn't "lit enough." Yeah, him saying lit got a laugh from the others in the room. It was nice to have someone who didn't know what that phone call meant, his other friends were on edge at first. Nick whispering to him asking if he was okay. Clay brushed it off so he could have fun. 

He got lost with George. He got lost in his joy for hanging with his friends.

It was nice to see him blend in well with them especially with Karl. He eventually had a moment with Nick who dared him to down his entire drink. Clay knew George would regret it but he was going to make sure not to get too drunk so he could make sure George doesn't regret it too much. 

George was like a little child who would try to hang out with the big boys. It reminded Clay of a past summer while he was in middle school. He would go out some day and spot high school kids playing a pick up game of flag football or basketball. He'd thought he could hang out with them, but whenever they would ask how old he is he would be denied. 

He was also like a puppy. He was experiencing something new with people he didn't feel comfortable with but he had a dorky smile on his face. He was sublime. 

George tried to chug his drink faster than Nick but Nick was a pro. George most certainly was not. That's why a last bit of his drink never made it into his mouth, but instead onto his shirt. Clay rolled his eyes and shook his head as he brought his roommate to his room. It was time to cut him off. George didn't resist, too giggly to complain, so Clay handed him another Gatorade. 

"Try and sip the drink. Don't down it or you will get sick and we don't want that, right?"

"I guess," George replied as he rested up against the partition between their closet spaces. Clay half expected him to fall into one of the spaces. He looked at the shorter boy's shirt and could see his skin through it due to the alcohol.

"Um why don't we change your shirt? I'm sure you don't like being wet."

George looked down and then at Clay, but his eyes dragged past Clay for a second. "How did I get wet?"

Clay laughed. "Oh dear. Okay right. You spilled your drink on yourself."

George giggled. "I don't remember."

Clay helped George take off his shirt an exposed the bare skin beneath it. "Shirts in the middle drawer, right?" George nodded. 

Clay felt awkward going through George's drawer to look for a shirt. When he picked one he handed it to George who seemed to be in a trance looking at him. 

"You okay? You aren't going to throw up, right?"

George smiled. "I'm okay, I think." He giggled that drunk giggle Clay found to be endearing before putting on the green tee Clay gave him. The two boys went back to the common room where the other boys were getting ready to play never have I ever.

"The lightweight is cut off," Clay says of George.

"Karl, you heard the boss. No more drinking," Nick says as he grabs Karl's drink from him. It get a raucous laughter from the other boys. 

Karl put on a frowny face.

George handed him his Gatorade saying, "You can have my drink." 

Karl and George giggled. 

"Alright, never have I ever listened to Sweater Weather." Nick started out.

Karl immediately got defensive. "That is such a lie. I've blasted that song with you in my car."

"Yes, and I've always blanked out when you did. I don't know a single lyric."

Karl started singing the lyrics to the song which caused Nick to play dead. 

"I secretly hate them," Clay whispered in George's ear. George chuckled.

"I like them."

Even though he was intoxicated, he liked how calm and happy George seemed. It similar to how he acted around Clay when they are alone, although not as loose. It reminded him about what George said down in the basement about still being anxious. 

"Never have I ever been to the UK." Clay was smirking. 

Everyone looked at George who seemed lost. He leaned into Clay, "Um why is everyone looking at me?"

Clay laughed. "Dude. You've been to the UK."

"Yeah, I was born there. So what?"

It dawned on Clay that George had no clue how the game was played so he explained it to him. "That's not fair. That's like if I said, 'Never have I ever been tall.'" That got a laugh from everyone. George stuck his tongue out at Clay. 

"Fine. I won't target you next time. It's your turn anyways."

"Hmm. Never have I ever been to New York City."

Everyone took a sip of their drink.

"Really?" Karl asked astonished. "I was born there."

"This is my first time to America," the intoxicated boy added. He talked about how New York City was one of the places he wanted to go to while he was going to school in America. He even thought about going to school there, but NYU didn't offer him a full scholarship. 

"We all went together last summer," Clay adds. He saw George's face drop a bit. He got the feeling George wasn't expecting them all to have gone to NYC. Clay felt bad but there wasn't really a reason to.

"Never have I ever skinny-dipped," Luke said.

Clay felt targeted and took a sip. Over the summer when Clay's mom went to the Bahamas with her sisters Clay decided to hold a party at his house with his friends. They had a few drinks and agreed to skinny-dip in his pool for laughs. What Clay didn't know was that his friends had planned to prank him just to embarrass him. He got to the pool first and then the others came out in their bathing suits. 

The worst part was that there was a girl he had crush on who was in on the joke too. 

Soon after the game dozed off without getting too crazy. Clay was starting to get tired and George was a mess. He had tried getting up from the futon, but his drunken legs were done for the night. So Clay was forced to help him up and to their room. George was very giggly and very drunk. 

There was a problem with how drunk George was. The beds in the rooms, due to having a small dresser below them require a little bit of climbing. At the foot of the bed there was a way to climb up onto the bed, although it's possible just to lightly hop onto the bed with no issues. With George it was an issue.

Clay thought about just picking him up, but then realized the pressure he would put on his stomach could end in catastrophe. So he settled on a different plan. He pulled George's chair over and helped him stand on it and then helped guide him onto his bed. 

"Did you want to take your sweats off?"

George was giddy. "Oh Clay, take me to dinner first." 

Clay shook his head but couldn't hide his smile. "You are an ass." He walked over to grab him another bottle of Gatorade. "Don't finish this. Take a couple sips tonight and then finish it tomorrow."

"Yes, sir."

Both of them laughed together. 

For Clay this night was a success. He got George to come out of his shell and have a good time. He felt bad for thinking that he saw a truer version of George tonight that has been locked away behind rows of walls.

Clay walked into the bathroom and felt a rush of emotion hit him. He was grateful for George being there. It allowed him to ignore the phone call he had earlier even if it was for a couple hours. If it was him and just his friends they would've kept acting weird. 

And here he thought things would be different in college. 

He turned on the sink full blast to hide his muffled cries.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys liked it. I hope that everything with Clay and that phone call was intriguing to you all. I'm very excited for future chapters. I just finished a chapter that got me emotional while writing it lol. Next chapter is up on Tuesday. Probably. Then Chapter 6 on Friday. Will stick to this schedule for two weeks.


	5. Normalizing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If any of the CC's want this removed, I will remove it.

George

George did not enjoy being hungover. His stomach felt like it was twisting in all sorts of knots, his head was throbbing and he was extremely lethargic. Clay seemed to be very normal and was telling him to keep drinking his Gatorade. 

George did not join Clay and his friends for breakfast but Clay brought up some food for him anyways. 

He also didn't feel good about being around Clay.

There was a lot about the previous night he wished he had forgotten with the alcohol. He remembers how flirtatious he was with Clay. He stared at him for far too long at some points, one of which Clay saw but blamed him being drunk. Another, Karl saw but didn't say anything. Oh and then there was the fact that Clay took off his shirt. The thoughts that circulated his head were completely unfiltered. The only way he was able to get out of his dirty mind was forcing a giggle and hoping Clay would just make another comment about him being drunk. 

The thought of Clay skinny-dipping? Also not good for the mind. 

Mix this with what he heard from Clay while he was on the phone and George was very conflicted. 

Throughout the day George started to feel better but he still slightly lethargic. So he mostly did homework and watched Netflix. Clay was on his bed the whole day typing away on his laptop and listening to music. 

Oh and he was lounging around shirtless. 

This is why George did his homework so he was sitting at his desk and not his bed where he could just easily look over or just see his shirtless hot roommate in his peripheral vision. This has to be some kind of violation of his roommate. He's battling between trying to keep his sexuality hidden and trying to respect his roommate. _I guess he counts as a friend now._

That only makes it worse.

When it comes to George's sexuality it is complicated. He is 100% firmly gay, however he doesn't flaunt his sexuality in America. He didn't flaunt it in the UK either but he didn't willfully hide it. While in America he decided to hop back in the closet because of how gay people are treated in the part of the country he's staying. He was also concerned by how his potential roommates would react to him being gay. 

There were a couple things that he had to do in order to better hide his sexuality like getting rid of the Ru Paul's Drag Race screensaver on his laptop and not watching Schitt's Creek on the regular like he normally would. Right now his biggest problem is keeping his eyes to himself, but he knows it'll get easier the more he is with Clay. He's not just this stranger anymore. He's a friend and that has to mean something. There is also this idea that seeing him more and more will make him boring to George's eyes. 

George turns around and sees the abs on Clay's body. 

_Just not yet._

_~~~~~~~~_

Over the course of the next few days George began to settle in with his roommates, slowly making himself comfortable going to get dinner with them. There were times when he would get food by himself after class, just to be left to his own thoughts. One evening he spotted Karl eating by himself on campus. 

The food court in the campus center is split up into 3 different parts. One section is mostly for breakfast, which is dominated by a Dunkin. The other two parts have extensive seating along with a myriad of food choices. There is a pizza place, an organic food eatery, a place for sandwiches and subs, and a taqueria. However, in a more isolated part of the campus center is the dining area, but it also acts as a common area for the campus center. There are large TV's plastered on the walls on opposite sides of the room, which is probably more than twice the size of a 300 personal lecture hall. There are lounge areas around the TV's so people can hang out and watch whatever sports are on. George has even seen a video game club use the tv for some fun. 

The evening he saw Karl he decided to walk over and sit next to him. 

"Sitting alone?" George asked.

There was a comfort level with Karl that he didn't have with anyone else, not even Clay. He couldn't explain what it was about the other boy but he wasn't going to complain.

"Yeah. 3 hour class. The others like to eat at around 7 so asking them to wait another 90 minutes is unfair. How about you?"

George shrugs, "I just like to eat alone sometimes. Clay offers to wait for me, but you ever just want to eat by yourself and relax?"

Karl smiles, "Yes." He pauses as if he wants to say more and takes a bite of his taco. "So what are you doing here?"

"Honestly, I don't know." George laughs nervously. "I felt like sitting next to you. Why, do you want me to leave?" he asks teasingly.

The other boy puts his hand up to his mouth as he chews his food. "No." After swallowing his food he adds, "I've thought enough tonight." He said it so passingly that it stripped the words of their ominous meaning. He didn't ask Karl what he was thinking about cause he'd be annoyed if anyone ever asked him. "So how are your classes?" 

George groaned causing Karl to laugh. "That bad, huh?"

"It's just some of these professors have sticks up their ass. Also, one of them is having us do a speech about ourselves. In what world do I want to talk about myself. I'm not that interesting," George says flippantly.

Karl disagreed. "I don't know, you seem pretty interesting to me."

"See now you are acting like Clay and buttering me up for no reason," George cracks. He takes a bite of his sandwich as Karl pretends to be offended.

"I'm not buttering you up. I can promise you Clay doesn't butter you up. Whatever he says he means. Well most of the time." It seemed like a nothing statement but it had a twinge of something more to it. Like Karl was trying to lead George from this space of negativity in a nonchalant way. 

"Did he tell you guys about how awkward our first interactions were?"

Karl laughed causing George's cheeks to warm up. "Yes. When we arrived for the party over the weekend it was a topic."

George's face scrunched up. "I figured."

The other boy shook his head. "It wasn't bad. He didn't make fun of you. He just cared about getting you acclimated to being here. Like, you're from the UK, which is so cool but this is all new for you."

George chuckled. "True and I was unlucky to not room with a bunch of strangers."

Karl gave him a look before taking a sip of his soda. "Actually, you were lucky to get Clay as your roommate." He gave George a reassuring smile without saying more. 

He didn't mean for his comment to come off poorly as if he was hating on Clay. It's just if he was rooming with a bunch of people who didn't know each other then it would even the playing field for him. It would be less anxiety inducing being introduced to people who are strangers to themselves, but when you are the only one who has to introduce yourself? That's a big no-no for someone like George.

With that said, Clay has done a lot for George already. He hangs out with George almost the same amount of time he does with his other friends. One of the things he noticed at first was that Clay was more tepid around him, but recently that has gone away. The inappropriate jokes and light shoves have become more and more frequent. 

"It definitely could've been worse," George added. 

"Yeah, Clay is cool," he says as he finishes his taco. 

"So you are from New York, right? Or am I imagining that from last week?" 

George takes another bite from his sandwich as Karl wipes his mouth. "Yes. I was born in the city. Well, not like manhattan but just outside. It's still the city, but not really." George was confused, so Karl went on to explain the 5 boroughs of New York City; Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx and Staten Island. He then went on a rant about how "the city" is really just Manhattan. He also complained about Staten Island and how it's the ugly step-child of the boroughs. "Nobody likes Staten Island. It's the worst. We like Long Islanders more than them."

"Long Islanders?" 

Karl laughed. "It's the part that stick out of New York. Mostly suburbs, open land, but great malls." He then showed George a map on google maps to show him. 

"I see. I would love to go to the city though."

"Do you plan on going while you're here for school?"

George nodded. "Yeah, maybe next year. Next summer I'll save up money to plan a trip I think."

"Do you know what you want to see when you go there?"

He shrugged. "Anything a simple tourist wants to see. I'm a basic bitch I guess." The two boys laugh. 

"If you'd like I could show you around." 

George thought that'd be a great idea. 

~~~~~~

Back in his dorm, George is by himself. Clay and the others went to a party off campus. George didn't want to go because he didn't feel like socializing. He also didn't want to Clay to be stuck baby sitting him. 

While he was lounging around on his bed he got a phone call from his mom. Mind you she was all of the way in the UK where it was nearly 3 AM, so George was concerned. She assured him nothing was wrong and that the family had been gathering at their house for the evening. She wanted to hear from him before she went to sleep.

Since coming to America, he hasn't spoken to her much. It was more because he didn't want to get homesick than anything, but his mom was relentless about getting updates. She wanted to make sure that he was settling in fine. He told her about Clay and how nice and understanding he has been. 

The conversation then turned to what he had been eating. He told her that he had ramen for days and that he still had a couple hundred dollars in his school card that he uses to buy food on campus. She offers to send him money to put in when they realize that he'll have to deposit more but he declined. George doesn't come from a well-off family, hence why he chose the school that offered him a scholarship. It wasn't a full scholarship but it pays for about half of the tuition and room & board. He also has another, smaller scholarship that helps pay for tuition and his books. 

It is also another reason for wanting to do coding in America. The opportunity to get a job here after college is done is significantly higher than staying in the UK or Europe as a whole. Traveling across the ocean to get a degree makes him motivated and hopes that'll stand out in job applications after he graduates. He doesn't really know where he wants his path to go, not allowing himself to set too high of a dream, but he hopes to be able to work on games or at least something in the tech field if necessary. 

Honestly, his goal to go to New York City next years is probably too lofty. He'll likely save the money for the trip but then end up giving it to his mother since she helped foot some of his tuition costs so he didn't have to take out too big of a loan. 

His father doesn't really give him much. $100 every month. His father is currently unemployed and living with his current wife and 2 children. His parents divorced 6 years ago. They are still cordial but George still misses him being in the house, so he's grateful for the money. His father doesn't have to give him anything if he had to be honest, especially if he's unemployed. 

George never got along with his step-mother or her children. He didn't see what his father saw in her but it wasn't his place to give him shit for it. In return he doesn't feel obligated to be cordial with his wife or her step-siblings. It is what it is and George is good at dealing with the cards he's been dealt.

After a long conversation with his mother, she hangs up and goes to bed. 

As night passes, George battles with staying up or going to sleep. He wants to go to sleep but he knows that he'll just wake up when Clay gets home. Clay had sent him a snapchat picture of him with a drink in his hand, so George knew he was having a good time and drinking. Clay sent a couple more pictures which displayed a progression of intoxication on his face. Then at 2AM, he heard loud noise come from outside the dorm room as he left the bathroom. 

It was his roommates coming back drunk.

Realizing how loud they were, George opened the door for them so that they didn't anger anyone or potentially get in trouble. 

Clay was beyond wasted. 

"I'm not baby-sitting him," George said to Nick who was grinning. 

Clay nearly fell on George when he threw his arm around the smaller boy smacking his senses with the smell of alcohol and cedar. George stumbled trying to regain his footing as his taller friend leaned on him. "I don't need a baby sitter. I'm gucci."

"You just said gucci. That is a clear sign that you need a baby sitter," Luke cracked. 

"Maybe more than that," George muttered. 

The other two boys laugh. They don't seem as drunk as Clay.

Clay keeps leaning on George which causes him to elbow the taller boy in the elbow. "Can you stand still?"

Clay giggles, "You're the one moving, shorty."

Nick and Luke laugh at George's expense and then walk into their room. "Good luck, George," Nick says.

George sighs. 

"What's wrong Georgie?" Clay says.

"Nothing, lets get you into bed, idiot."

George slowly drags Clay into their room and leaves the taller boy leaning up against his bed so he can grab him a drink. "Do you want to change out of that shirt?" 

Clay doesn't answer him. Instead he takes off his shirt and throws it at his hamper in the closet. He missed, wildly, leaving George to pick it up and put in the hamper. "I don't need a shirt."

"Okay," George replies with a sigh. 

"How come you didn't respond to my snaps?" Clay asks in a drunken tone. 

George shrugs. "I didn't know I had to." 

"Well, Georgie, it would've been nice to see your pretty face."

Oh god. He's so far gone, George thought to himself. The grin on Clay's face was priceless almost making it hard for George to not laugh. 

"Did you like my photos?" Clay asks.

George plays along as he helps Clay up onto the bed. George fights to ignore the warm feeling of Clay's skin under his hand. "I loved them. How could I not, Clay?"

Clay giggled as he laid down on his bed. He then asked George for a favor that turned the playful flirting into something more. "Can you take off my pants? I hate sleeping in pants."

_I know._

George panicked inside. He took a deep breath. "Uh, you really can't do it?" Clay shook his head. "Well I'm not unzipping you so you either do that much or you'll have to sleep in jeans tonight."

Clay unzipped, looking like he was about to pass out. George fought with his mind. On one hand he was just being a good friend helping out his drunk roommate. On the other, this was screaming as a further violation. 

"Your hand is cold," Clay says as George's hand grazes the side of his leg. 

George nearly said something about his leg being warm but refrained for his own well-being. Instead he went with, "Cry about it." 

He got his pants off and then took his socks off for good measure and placed them in Clay's hamper. He looked back over at Clay who was toying away on his phone. He refused to let his eyes trace Clay from toe to head instead focusing in on his eyes. 

"No drunk texting. I may be a lightweight but even I know that." 

"I'm not texting. I'm just surfing the web as they say." 

George rolled his eyes and went to go to the bathroom to wash his hands after touching Clay's dirty clothes. 

"Am I good roommate?" A soft voice asked. He looked over and saw Clay looking at him, suddenly the drunken face had disappeared. George couldn't tell if he was toying with him.

"Huh?" George asked.

"Have I been a good roommate to you?"

They look stared into each other's eyes for a couple seconds too long, but George did nothing to stop himself. "You've been great, Clay. Except for tonight. You made me touch your dirty socks."

They both chuckled shrouding the seriousness of their tone in a cloud of immaturity. George felt the pit in his stomach grow and begin to churn. When he got to the bathroom he placed his hands on the sink, gripping the sides of it harshly, and took a deep breath. 

Then his phone went off. He received a snap from Clay. 

It was just a picture of him with eyes closed with the caption, "Goign to slep." A very drunkenly written snap.

George took a photo of himself in the mirror giving him a thumbs up. He sent it regrettably.

_This boy is going to be the death of me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just going to go out and say that I do intend to make Karl a semi-big character. However, out of respect for RL Karl, I'm not doing romance. I wasn't planning on it but I'm just making that clear now. 
> 
> Next chapter due out on Friday. Feel free to leave any comments, questions or concerns.


	6. Beach Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A simple Beach chapter with some nice moments inside. This was supposed to go up yesterday but I was feeling ill. Still not feeling great but good enough to revise and upload.
> 
> If any of the CCs want this removed I will do so.

**Clay**

Clay decided that he wanted to go to the beach because it was extremely hot. There was also a conversation with George about beaches and how he rarely ever went to the beach. The beach is about 40 minutes from campus so it's not a bad drive. 

Going to the beach is one of Clay's favorite things to do. It can be very relaxing to just sit around on the beach and watch the waves crash on the sand. It can also be relaxing to watch the waves take on those confident people who think they can withstand it. Sometimes, Clay comes to the beach to play some games or when he's with his younger sister, build castles and dig holes. 

When they get there, George immediately complains about how hot it is. He says the sun is trying to melt him, which is more or less true when talking about the Florida sun. Clay tosses him the bottle of sun tan lotion as he sets up the towels for them. 

"Do you want me to put lotion on your back or do you want sunburn?"

George splits his glance between the bottle of lotion and Clay who is rubbing his the lotion on his face in. "Sunburn doesn't sound like fun."

Clay squirted a few dabs on his back. When he started to rub it in George jerked away. "Oh relax you."

"You're hands are cold, Clay!" 

"So let me warm them up on your back then," he cracked.

George muttered dissatisfaction under his breath as he let Clay rub the lotion onto his skin. As he went further down to his side, George jerked again. He stifled a chuckle. Clay saw blood in the water. "Oh Georgie, are you ticklish?"

George shook his head. His face turned red. "I will walk back to campus right now."

Clay wheezed before tickling his side. 

"Clay!" George growled trying not to bring attention to themselves. 

He finished rubbing in the lotion before turning George around and making sure the lotion on his face was rubbed in as well. He noticed a smudge of lotion above his right eyebrow and rubbed it in. Clay caught himself smiling before looking into the dark brown eyes of the boy in front of him. They were looking intently back at him.

"If you're gonna look at me like that you better be ready to make out with me," he cracks as he taps the boy on his shoulder. "No worries, now you get to put lotion on my back."

George seems hesitant to touch Clay's back but he doesn't want to be weird about it. As he is rubbing the lotion into Clay's shoulder Clay says, "You gotta rub it in well. My shoulders burn like a bitch."

When George is done Clay turns around and sees him look away. He tosses the lotion on their bag and places his hands on George's shoulders causing him to jerk up again. He seems tense so Clay light rubs them and pushes him forward. "C'mon lets go join the morons." Clay guided George towards the beach and muttered insults about how stupid Nick is getting George to chuckle. 

"Aren't there sharks in the water?" George asked.

Clay didn't answer him as they stepped into the water. George looked back over his shoulder to Clay who was gritting his teeth. "Clay?"

"Sometimes."

"Wait what?! Are you serious?" George stopped as the water crash into his ankles. 

"Yeah. It's not that frequent. Every once a while someone gets a little nibble on their foot. No big deal."

George looks petrified. "That doesn't sound like no big deal, Clay. It sounds like a big deal. Yes, a big deal."

Clay laughed stepped to the side of George. "If there is a shark I will jump in front of you and let it eat me, fair?"

George seemed to contemplate the offer from the blond haired boy. He looked up at him and then at the water. "Okay," he answers with a big smile before walking forward. Clay sighs and then decides to mess with him. He walks up behind George and picks him up with an arm under his legs and and arm under his head. 

"Don't resist, Georgie." George isn't that heavy but if he resists he may drop him and hurt George or himself in the process.

Clay laughing at the fear on George's face. 

"What are you doing?" he asks.

Clay doesn't answer, just winks at him. A wave comes by, about thigh high and breaks in front of them. Clay walks forward and slightly bends his knees so the water crashes into the side of George soaking him in the warm Atlantic water. George spits the water out and rubs the water out of his eyes. 

He smiles so Clay drops him. A small squeak comes out of his mouth as he gasps before entering the water below. Clay, not being a complete dick quickly bends down to help George up. George grips his arm and goes to pull himself up until another wave breaks behind him. Instead of pulling himself up he pulls Clay down and holds onto them until the wave takes them. When they clear the water they both look at each other, George's arms wrapped around Clay's left arm. They laugh.

"That was fucked up," Clay said mid wheeze.

"And what you did wasn't?"

"I held you."

"And I held you," George responded with a grin.

Clay gets up, pulling George with him and joins the other boys further out to sea where they throw a hand ball back and forth. But it's not catch. It's called keep away. The goal of the game is for one team to throw the ball back and forth at each other while keeping the other team from getting it. The game is best played when the ocean is calm and not crowded with people. Clay was teamed up against George so he decided to bully him.

Clay was about a half foot taller than George so George's team would have trouble getting it to George. Also, the taller boy was more acclimated to moving in the ocean whereas George seemed a little rocky in the waters. The waves weren't high so they were merely just a nuisance. One of the tactics that was used while Clay's team had the ball was throwing it in front of a wave near Clay and George. It was easier for Clay to get the ball although one time George dove after it bringing Clay and him into the wave as he hung around his shoulders. 

The taller boy couldn't help but make sure George was okay as he came up spitting the water. He worried for no reason. George had a smile on his face and seemed to be enjoying himself, recklessness and all. 

There was one moment in the game when Clay decided to let George get the ball that they both dove at. At first he didn't know why he let him get the ball, but then he squared it off as him wanting George to finally feel like he beat Clay at something. Pity, or whatever. But also, Clay wanted to mess with him. See, the rules that they play by is 1 person has to cover 1 other person and only that person. Furthermore, the ball needed to be thrown to everyone on the team. You couldn't just ignore 1 person because they are bad. So the ball had to be thrown to George. 

One of the ways the other team go the ball to George was by just throwing the ball over them and hoping George could get it in time. Clay could probably get the ball every single time they did that but he didn't want to jump on George to fight for the ball. If it were Nick or any of the other guys? He'd do it with no hesitation.

But George wasn't them.

When George first got the ball thrown at him and had to throw it to Sam, Clay hovered over him. George back was touching Clay's abdomen and chest. Clay isn't allowed to grab George or forcefully pull the ball from him, only being able to deflect the ball from being throw or slapping it out of his hand. For a moment there was a weird feeling in his stomach as George's wet body grazed his as he backed up into him. He ignored it and kept playing.

As the game went on George's frustration with Clay bullying him kept rising. Not frustration in anger but annoyance. He knew Clay was picking on him. So when Clay's team got the ball back he decided to turn the tables on him. When the ball was thrown over to the side for Clay to dive and get, George dove after it and on top of Clay. Clay thought he was clear, not expecting the smaller boy's body to smack into his. He had the ball in his grasp until foreign finger slipped in and knocked the ball free. When they both got out of the ball George had it in his hands.

"That was unexpected."

"The bully has become the bullied," George said chuckling. As he went to throw it, Clay slapped it out of his hand and regained possession. 

"You were saying, bitch?"

George gave him the finger so Clay just swiftly kicked his feet out from under him causing to fall into the water as a wave came. Instinctively, Clay left his arm out for George to grab if he needed it. When the boy under the water grabbed his hand, he pulled him up.

"You good?"

George was laughing. "You are a dick."

Another beach time game to play is something called Red Rover. It's another simple game that people learn to play at a young age. It is typically played on grass fields but it can be dangerous. There are two teams that stand linked together on opposing sides. The goal is to get the other side to link up with yours. How this is done is one of two ways. One side will say red rover, red rover, send so-and-so right over. That person will have to then charge at them and try to break through a hand-held link. If the person fails too break through, they join the team. If they do break through they get to pick 1 of the 2 people they broke through to join their team. When one team has everyone, they win. 

The game can be dangerous because people are literally running into your arms. On grass fields, this worse. The sand on beaches makes it hard to run full-throttle, so it's the preferred place to play the game. 

It wasn't hard to get a game going, getting a few others to join the 8 of them. Clay wanted to pick on George, so when he was called over he obviously chose to break through him and Luke who were locked together. Luke shouted some nonsense at him while George seemed slightly nervous. 

Just as he was about to slam into their link he slowed himself down ever so slightly. It was enough to keep him from breaking the link. This was now the 2nd time Clay had been nice to George and he started to wonder why. He never lets anyone win. He hates losing.

Eventually Clay got back to his team and was able to call George over. 

"Should we blue cheese him?" Nick whispered.

Blue cheese was a dirty tactic in which the team would bring their links down to knee height or lower causing the charger to trip if they stop themselves or somehow jumped over. 

"No, we'll hurt him."

Nick laughed, "Since when are you against that? You've done it to all of us."

Clay shrugged. "Let's just push him back instead."

George's attempt to break through was slightly pathetic. It didn't take much to repel him and cause him to fall on his rear getting a laugh out of everyone. Clay held his hand out and helped George up. With George now next to him holding his other hand he leans over and asks if he is okay.

"Just a bruised ego."

Clay snickers. "Should come to the gym with me."

George groaned. "Please, I'd just embarrass myself." 

"Nah man. You'll be with me the entire time." 

George didn't answer him. 

~~~~~~

After lounging around to get a tan, Clay decided he wanted to get a sandwich from his favorite deli in this area. He tapped George's ankle with his foot and asked if he wanted to get food. The other boys were in the water so they could get food later.

The place they are at holds a deep spot in Clay's heart. Every time he comes to the beach on this part of Florida he goes to this deli. The owners, an elderly married couple from Cuba, even know him. 

"Are you having fun?" Clay asked the other boy as he wiped sour cream from the side of his mouth. 

"Yeah, I think I got sun burn but yeah."

"So what is better, Florida beaches or UK beaches?"

George considered the question. "Well, the UK beaches don't have sharks."

"There were no sharks out there. Today."

The dark-haired boy rolled his eyes. "Whatever. It is much hotter here. Like too hot, but at least it makes going into the water more refreshing." 

Clay nodded. "Good, good. What else?"

George shrugged. "I don't know. They are different."

Clay rolled his eyes. "Yeah but I'm not there. I'm here."

George finally realized what Clay was getting at. "Eh."

Clay nearly spat out his food. "You are so mean to me now." The both laugh together before continuing to eat there food. "If I come to the UK, would you take me to the beach?" 

The other boy looked carefully at him before nodding. "Sure if you want, but why would you want to come to the UK to go to the beach?" Clay struggled to hold back a wheeze.

"George, I'd come to the UK to see you. You are so dumb."

He chuckles. "Oh. Wait, you'd come to the UK to see me?" Their eyes interlock for a couple seconds.

Clay smiles, "Of course. Why else would I go there?"

The shorter boy doesn't answer him right away. Instead he settles for shrugging and taking a rather large bite of his sandwich. The jazzy music that is playing from the speakers several feet of them begins to feel like it is screaming at Clay rather than being a nice instrumental backdrop. 

"I don't know. To see the sights, I guess," he finally responds dimly. 

Clay ignores the drop in his face. "You're a sight," he jokes. When it doesn't land as well he'd hope, only getting a wry smirk from George, he sighs. "You can show me the sights, George." The other boy doesn't say anything. If Clay didn't know any better he'd say he looked uncomfortable. 

"You know you are my friend, right? Like I genuinely consider you my friend." Clay says softly.

George looks up from his sandwich. "Yeah. At least I hoped so. It's just different hearing you say it." He almost seemed sad.

"Well George, you are my friend. That's why I wanna come to the UK."

After a couple moments in silence George finally explains why he seems sad. "I didn't have a lot of friends back home. I was the dork. I was the kid who just kinda stayed to themselves most of the time. I did have a couple friends, don't get me wrong, but nothing too great I guess. I just never found my group and eventually I just stopped caring to find them. It's another reason for coming to America. A new start. A new chance to find friends who like me for me."

Clay saw George wanted to say more but needed time to think so he took a bite of his sandwich but kept his eye on the other boy so he knew he was being attentive. A part of him wanted to reach out to George but he resisted that urge. 

"It's why I was so scared when we first met. To see you, Luke and Nick talking like you were friends. Then to find out you all have known each other for years. It felt like I was right back in the UK."

"So you were dead set on keeping to yourself. You used your social anxiety to just close up."

George nodded. "Yeah, but you wouldn't leave me the fuck alone so I couldn't close up." He began to chuckle before he finished his last words.

"Is that what you call it? Here I thought I was seductively winning you over."

"Ah yes, you leaning your giant body on me while you were drunk was so seductive. Hot."

"Don't act like you didn't like it," Clay quipped. 

George scoffed. "Please. I almost had to take a shower because you smelled so bad."

"And yet you didn't because you secretly liked how I smell."

George made a disgusted face before laughing. They finished eating their sandwiches and walked back down to the beach. 

"I'm glad you didn't let me close up, by the way," George said without looking up at Clay. 

Clay, smiling from ear to ear, replied graciously, "Me too, George. Me too." He threw his arm around George as steadily walked back to their towels. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter should be up on Tuesday, but I'm not sure lol.


	7. Workout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry again for the delay. Was sick and went back and forth with the contents of this chapter. We go into some body positivity issues and I was unsure if I liked how I went about it. Had to make several changes until I felt like it was done in the right way that made sense for the character and to you all who read it. 
> 
> If any of the CCs want this removed then I will remove it.

**George**

After finishing up with his classes for the day George was begged by Clay to go to the gym. This was due to the constant ribbing he was getting after the day at the beach. His attempt to break through Clay's link in the game of Red Rover was pathetic, but that was only because George didn't want to risk hurting himself or Clay. Not that he thought he could hurt Clay, it's just that he had watched the game being played and thought it looked rather painful. 

When Clay came through, George noticed he let up towards the end. The clashing of his hand up against Clay's body kind of hurt his shoulder as well. 

Originally George gave into Clay's begging, the other boy pledging to stay by his side the entire time, so he doesn't feel like a joke or so out of place. Gyms are not a common place for George to go to, as in he's never been to an actual gym before. However, as he got ready to go to the gym on campus he looked over at Clay who was changing his shirt. His back muscles were exposed for George to look at and at that very moment he knew it was going to be hard to keep his eyes contained. 

"I don't know if I should go," he speaks up.

Clay sighs. "Oh come on. Don't chicken out now, George. It's going to be fine. You are going to be with me."

There was another issue that Clay was getting at that George didn't expect him to understand. Body positivity. George is skinny, couldn't gain weight or muscle mass if he tried. He doesn't really care that he is skinny but he doesn't want to be judged for it or for being weak. 

"Yeah, but people are still going to watch me struggle."

Clay, standing in front of him bare-chested with a wife beater in hand, chuckles. "So what? Why do you care about them? I can understand you caring about what I say or think, but strangers? Fuck em."

George looked away. 

Clay let out a sigh and sat down next to George. "Is everything okay?" 

George look back at him. His brows furrowed as his eyes seem to dig into George's skin. He was as concerned as he was confused and George didn't know what to do with that. In the grand scheme of things this is such a little thing. This is a stupid thing to get bent out of shape and he couldn't help but feel like he is being overdramatic about it. 

"Yeah. It's fine," George said.

Clay stuck his gaze on George seeing right through his weak attempt to move on. "You can tell me George? If I upset you then you have every right to tell me. I'm a big boy, I can handle it." A soft smile painted itself on his face. 

George didn't respond to him. He swore to himself he wasn't bothered by anything Clay said after the beach visit. He didn't care that Clay insinuated that he was weak. He was just joking. It was harmless.

_But why does it bother me?_

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you self-conscious. I didn't even know you were self-conscious about your body." He took a moment, letting the silence linger. "That's not an excuse. I should've been more aware and careful."

George was cursing himself out. 

"Stop. You don't need to apologize. I'm just being ridiculous." He stands up from his bed and groans. "I'm just being stupid about it. You are right, I shouldn't care. I wish I didn't care about what you said. I should be able to take a joke."

Clay stopped him from beating himself up. "No. You are allowed to be self-conscious. I'm not allowed to make cracks at your expense."

"But that's what friends do," George argued trying to convince himself that he's been handling this all wrong.

The taller boy wasn't having it. "But what friends don't do is make others feel like shit and clearly I played a role in that. So I'm sorry. Honestly, I thought going to the gym with you would be fun and it's good to hang with a friend at the gym."

There was something in Clay's look that made George step down from his position and let the other boy convince him he was right. Maybe it was because George was conflicted with himself and Clay was conflicted for him. 

So they both went to the gym, moving on from the moment with a new perspective about one another and themselves. Of course this didn't stop George from getting anxious about their dynamic changing for the worse. But it didn't. They went back to being normal. As they jogged on the treadmill they spoke about their classes, making fun of one of their professors who keeps getting irate over one person on their laptop even though laptops are allowed. They then moved to bench presses, which required them to spot one another. What that means is just making sure the person bench pressing doesn't lose their grip on the bar and crushes their throat or chest with the full weight on the bar. 

George was impressed by how seamless Clay made it all seem. The way he would breathe out as he pushed the bar and extended his arms. It was like he had it all down to rhythm and was in his own world. 

When it was his turn to bench weights Clay set the weights to what he thought George could handle. George could see Clay be hesitant with the weight he was adding so not think too lowly of George. He removed a 10lb weight from both sides of the bar, stood over the weights and then added 5lb ones to it. He glanced over at George as he did. 

"Okay, I think you can do this. I'll spot you, so don't worry. Don't push yourself either. Don't need you tearing a muscle because you are trying to impress me."

He gave George a wink.

"Is it possible for me to impress you?"

"Of course," he said nonchalantly.

George laid down on the bench with Clay standing over him wiping the sweat from his brow. He gripped the bar, Clay placing his in the middle of his hands and lifted it from it's place. He was taken by surprise by the weight, but more because he hadn't done this and didn't know what to expect. "Make sure you breath in through your nose and out your mouth," Clay reminded him.

When George was done with his reps, which were significantly less than what Clay had done they went over to just lifting singular weights. Clay was, as expected, lifting a heavier weight. George's eye gliding over to Clay's bicep as he would lift the weight up from his leg. The problem with being in a gym is that it activates all of your hormones and suddenly George was happy to be sitting down and not standing or he would give away how he is feeling.

_This is embarrassing. I need to get out of here._

"How long are we going to be here?"

Clay shrugged then looked at his phone. "We can leave. I'm usually here for like an hour. We've been here for a little more than that."

"I know," George muttered as he placed the weight on the rack. He looked at the mirror to see Clay's arms which were swollen from working out. He had to look away as he felt himself becoming excited.

"Do you want to check out the rest of the building?" Clay asked.

The gym was a small part of the building they were in on campus. Also a part of the building was a gymnasium for basketball and volleyball games. There was also a small area for food. Nick had told them that there several basement floors which were creepy to be in at night. George didn't care to ask why he was there at night. 

"Sure," George responded.

The two went down the stairs to the basement and entered a door. They look side to side and made a left turn where they heard the echo of banging coming from. When they opened the door to the next hallway the echoes got louder. There was large Plexiglas walls that look down onto walled off areas down below, or at least that's what George gathered at first. There two people with racquet hitting a handball at the walls. 

Clay leaned over, "I believe this is racquetball."

George's brow rose. "Seems interesting, don't you think?" He watched as the two guys kept hitting the ball. He was beginning to understand a couple basic of gameplay like how you have to hit the front wall with the ball no matter what. However, you can hit the ball into any of the other 3 surrounding walls. When the ball hits the front wall you have to get to the ball before the second bounce. 

He watched as one of the guys sliced the ball causing the ball to stall after it hit the front wall. This caused his opponent to have to run up and get to the ball. When he returned it the guy in the back hit the ball hard into the wall, ricocheting into the other player. The person who hit the ball got the point. 

"Yes, this is very interesting," Clay said smirking at George. 

George's face, which was amazed by the game, was no longer happy. "Okay. You can play with Nick," he said as he walked away. 

Clay wheezed. "Oh come on George. You know you want to play." 

George shook his head. "Nope. Not anymore. You are just going to hit me."

The taller boy stifled another wheeze. "Me? No. I would never do that." 

George rolled his eyes and went to take a sip from his flask only to realize that it was empty. Clay came up and handed him his. "You cannot convince me that you wouldn't try to hit me," he said before taking a sip and handing it back to Clay.

"Okay, fine. I would, but not all of the time." He wore a dumb grin on his face. George ignored him. "We can go get some equipment later if you want. There's a Dick's nearby I think."

George giggled, "Yeah you would like that store wouldn't you." It was off-handed. George didn't even know he said it until he heard it. 

"What? What!?" Clay yelled. "Oh my god." They both started laughing. George's hears Clay's phone goes off and as he reads the message he gets his face drops, but he recovers after placing the phone back in his pocket without responding. He looks at George, "So do you want to play racquetball instead of going to the gym? I could go for it."

"Sure. I mean I would prefer zero physical activity, but at least racquetball seems fun. Working out is boring."

"True," Clay said.

George thought that was weird. "Then why do you go to the gym?"

Clay made an unsure face. "I guess to feel good about myself. I did it in High School because I played sports."

"But you don't play sports now. So is it just to make yourself feel good, and do you feel good?"

The other boy took a swig of his drink to think about his answer. "I don't know. Yeah, I guess."

"Oh. I thought a lot of guys, especially jocks, worked out to impress others. Like 'look at how good my body looks.'"

Clay laughed at George. "Oh my god, George. Not all of us are shallow."

"Mhm," George said unconvinced. 

Clay dragged his arm across George's shoulder, "You know what, maybe I work out for you."

George rolled his eyes and pushed himself away from the other boy. "Sorry you're not my type," he quipped. He lied. He was very much his type and this flirtatious back and forth was beyond helpful. He didn't exactly mean what he said, just going with the flow, but it definitely didn't help. 

It didn't help that Clay asked him about how he feels about his body and then squeezed his bicep as a joke. The touch was electric, his hand was warm. His thumb lightly dragged down the side of his bicep as he held it. The look Clay gave him made him think he knew exactly what he was doing, but he didn't. He was teasing him in a joking way. 

When they got back to the room, George decided to take a shower first. He needed to let out the frustration he was feeling from the day with Clay. It was a release of guilt. He didn't feel good about, but he did it anyways. 

After his shower he stepped outside only to hear Clay angrily talking on the phone in their room. The door was closed so he couldn't hear it clearly and it was also unlikely that Clay could tell that he was out of the bathroom. 

"What do you want from me? I answered your question and you are constantly giving me grief."

A few seconds passed before a groan escaped Clay's mouth. "I can't do this right now. I don't know why you are like this with me all of the time."

George feels bad for listening so he goes back into the bathroom, closes the door silently and turns on the faucet. He waits a few seconds before turning off the faucet and then clearing his throat. When he opens the bathroom door again he fakes a cough. Before opening the door to his room he hears Clay say "Goodbye," to the person he was talking to. He waits just a couple more seconds and then turns the handle. He doesn't look over to Clay, who is sitting on the windowsill, until after he places his dirty clothes in the hamper. Clay doesn't seem bothered, like he had just sounded annoyed on the phone. Instead he was taking the wrapper off of a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. He got up and approached George and handed him the other Reese's in the pack. 

"You want?" Clay asked with a brimming smile.

"Sure." They smiled at each other, Clay more tryingly before he left the room. 

George kept his eyes on the doorway after Clay disappeared into the bathroom. There was something bothering him and he couldn't do anything about it. He didn't know what was bothering him and he didn't feel comfortable overstepping any boundaries. 

If Clay wanted to talk, he'd just talk, no? But he'd also go to Nick and his other friends before going to his roommate he just met a couple weeks ago.

No he just had to watch and accept his friend fake a smile in order to hide whatever pain he is dealing with. 

_At least for now._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I cannot say when the next chapter will be. The goal is Sunday but it could slip depending how I feel. I can only guarantee it'll be out within a week :).


End file.
